Portraits of Jesus

A Study of the Gospel of
Mark

Please take all courses in
order as listed on our home page (the computer will ask!). If you
have not done all the lessons of previous courses, please click here to go to the
beginning.

If you have not already done so, save this lesson
to your computer using the "save" feature of your
browser or PDF reader. Then print out the lesson (or at least
open it in your browser or PDF reader offline -
not on the Internet). Read the lesson and study
in your Bible the passages indicated >>> Scripture
<<<.Following each
passage, study each question that has a number enclosed in
asterisks (*1*, *2*, etc.), and write down your answers
on paper. Some questions include more than one number
because they have more than one blank to fill in. ("Think"
questions should be carefully considered for your own benefit,
but your answers will not be submitted to us.) Please take your
time, study each passage carefully, answer the questions
honestly, and consider the applications to your own life (John 12:48;
2 Tim. 2:15).

When you have studied the whole lesson and
written down answers to all the indicated questions, return to
the menu for this course on our web site at www.BibleStudyLessons.com
and click on the link for the answer
quiz for this lesson (or simply click on the
link at the end of this lesson). Follow the directions to submit
your answers and receive your grade. You will then be given
an opportunity to see the correct answers to the questions.
Please save this lesson and the correct answers for future
reference.

Then move on to the next lesson or the next
course in order. Please study all
lessons in all courses in order as listed in the menus on our web
site.

Thank you for your interest, and God bless your
study of His word.

Final
Teachings of JesusLesson 9

Jesus Warns of Coming
Events

>>> Read Mark 13:1-13. <<<

As they left the temple area, one of the disciples pointed to
the magnificent buildings and commented on their splendor. Jesus
replied that they all would be torn down. This remark astonished
the disciples and they asked when this would happen and what sign
there would be of the temple's impending destruction. Jesus began
answering by telling about some things that would happen before
the temple was destroyed. He warned of false Christs, wars,
natural disasters and great persecution. These events would be
unsettling for the Christians, but Jesus assured them that they
were not signs of the overthrow of the temple. It is remarkable
that some people have taken these things that Jesus said were not
signs of the destruction of the temple and used them to try to
predict the date of the return of Christ.

*1* According to v1-4, what subject was Jesus discussing in
these verses? Answer: The destruction of the ______ in Jerusalem.

*2* Instead of saying that the events of these verses were
signs of the immediate end, what did Jesus say in v7? Answer: The
end is ______.

The Destruction of
the Temple

>>> Read Mark 13:14-30. <<<

This paragraph is one of the most difficult in the gospel of
Mark. Several things should be carefully observed: 1) Jesus said
that all of these things were going to occur within that
generation (13:30). 2) We know that Jerusalem and the temple
within it were destroyed by Roman armies in the year 70 A.D.
Contemporary reports chronicle Jerusalem's horrible siege and
tell that thousands (possibly more than a million) died in the
conflict. 3) Jesus warned the Christians to flee to the mountains.
History records that the disciples fled to a mountain fortress
near the Dead Sea. As far as we know, no Christians perished in
that war. It always pays to listen to Jesus.

*3* What did Jesus tell the disciples in Judea to do when they
saw the evil thing in the temple (v14)? Answer: They should
______ to the mountains.

*4* When did Jesus say all the things in 13:1-30 would occur?
a) when He returns for the final judgment; b) within that
generation; c) no one knows; d) 2000 years later. Answer: ______.

Jesus Warns of His
Return

>>> Read Mark 13:31-37. <<<

In verse 30 Jesus said that the destruction of the temple
would occur within that generation. But in verse 32, He spoke of
an event that would occur at a totally unknown time. He was
referring to His own return and the destruction of the world. Not
even Jesus Himself knew when that would occur. So, He exhorted
everyone to be alert and constantly prepared His return.

Note -- Practical lessons: 1) We should not
believe anyone who claims to be able to predict the date of the
Lord's return. If Jesus didn't know, surely no mere man does.
Anyone who claims to be able to discern the time of Jesus' return
by a careful study of prophetic texts is claiming to know more
than the Lord Himself and should not be taken seriously. 2) Since
we don't know when the Lord will come back, we should always be
ready. If you knew for sure that the Lord would come back today,
would you change some things in your life? Then why not just
assume that He is returning today (for He might), and make the
changes immediately. It is utterly foolish to procrastinate in
our repentance.

Anointing of Jesus

>>> Read Mark 14:1-11. <<<

What contrasting attitudes toward Jesus! The chief priests and
scribes searched for a way to kill Him. Judas offered to betray
Him. But a single woman spent 300 days' wages for perfume which
she poured over His head. The disciples criticized her for this
extravagant act of love. They viewed it as a waste of money, and
thought it would have been better to have sold the perfume and
given the money to the poor. But Jesus defended her saying that
she had anointed His body for burial and that in all the world
people would tell of her deed.

*6* What did the woman pour over Jesus' head? Answer: She
poured out a flask of expensive ______ made from nard (spikenard).

*7* What did the disciples think should have been done with
the perfume? Answer: They thought it should be sold and the money
given to the ______.

The Last Supper

>>> Read Mark 14:12-26. <<<

Passover was an annual feast commemorating God's sparing the
Jews in the tenth plague on Egypt (see Exodus 11-12). Jesus sent
the disciples to prepare the feast, then He ate it with them.
During the meal, Jesus warned that one of them would betray Him.
He was trying to prepare the apostles for the traumatic night to
follow. The Lord also took some of the bread and grape juice of
the Passover and said that it was His body and blood. In this
way, He initiated the observance of the Lord's Supper, a feast
that was continued by the early Christians (Acts 2:42; 20:7; 1
Corinthians 11:17-34).

Note -- Is it I? It is interesting to observe
the disciples' reaction to Jesus' prediction that one of them
would betray Him. Each asked: Is it I? They were thinking of the
possibility of their own fall. Unfortunately, this moment of
introspection soon vanished and in the next paragraph they return
to brash overconfidence. Surprisingly, they did not ask: Is it
Judas? Apparently they had not observed anything in Judas'
behavior during the months they had spent together that signaled
that he was disloyal. When we read Jesus' warnings in the Bible,
we also should ask: Is it I?

*8* When Jesus predicted that one of the disciples would
betray Him, what did they ask? Answer: They asked, "______?".

*9&10* In the Lord's supper, what do the bread and fruit
of the vine remind us of? Answer: The bread reminds us of Jesus'
______, and the fruit of the vine reminds us of His ______.

Jesus Predicts the
Flight of the Disciples

>>> Read Mark 14:27-31. <<<

Jesus told the disciples that they would all fall away. Peter
retorted that though the others might, he would never abandon Him.
Christ replied that he would deny Him three times that very night.
Again Peter denied it saying that he would even be willing to die
with Him. Perhaps Peter's overconfidence was one reason he
fulfilled this very prophecy a few hours later.

*11* What did Jesus predict Peter would do that very night?
Answer: Peter would ______ Jesus three times.

*12* How did Peter respond to this prediction? Answer: He said
he would rather ______ than deny Jesus.

Jesus Prays in the
Garden

>>> Read Mark 14:32-42. <<<

Jesus took His disciples into a garden and asked them to watch
and pray. He told them that He was deeply distressed. He went a
little farther and prayed that God would take the cup of
suffering away from Him. Jesus knew how terrible His death would
be. He asked, however, that God's will be done above all. Each
time He returned to His disciples, they had fallen asleep. Jesus
wrestled with His griefs and fears alone, without human support.

Note -- The true suffering of Jesus: This
paragraph reveals Jesus' deep grief as He thought about what He
was going to suffer. He knew exactly what was about to happen and
He dreaded it. Was He thinking only of physical pain? Crucifixion
certainly was an agonizing experience--the victim slowly
suffocated as he grew gradually weaker and finally unable to pull
his body up against the nails to breathe. But others have
suffered similar executions with less dread than Jesus. There
must be something Jesus feared besides pain. Several passages
teach that Jesus bore the sins of the world on the cross (Isaiah
53; 1 Peter 2:24; 2 Corinthians 5:21). He suffered the punishment
for man's sin, which was spiritual death, separation from God.
His greatest agony was being cut off from His Father on the cross
(study Mark 15:34). Because He suffered this punishment of utter
separation from God, His faithful followers will never have to.

*13* What did Jesus pray for in the garden? Answer: He asked
for the ______ to pass from Him.

*14* Whose will did Jesus say should be done? (a) His own
will, (b) His Father's will, (c) the will of the Jewish leaders,
(d) all of the preceding. Answer: ______.

Jesus Is Arrested

>>> Read Mark 14:43-52. <<<

Judas had bargained with the chief priests to betray his
Master. He had promised to lead them to the place where He spent
the night, away from the crowds. Although Jesus knew the plan, He
went again to the usual spot where He knew Judas could easily
find Him. A troop of soldiers with the traitor leading the way
interrupted the calm of the night. Judas kissed Jesus, a signal
that it was safe to arrest Him. One disciple tried to defend
Jesus by sword, severing the ear of a man in the arrest party in
the process (see Luke 22:50-51; John 18:10-11 for more details).
But then the disciples lost their nerve and fled. Jesus remained
alone with His captors and Judas.

*16* What sign did he use to identify Jesus for the captors?
Answer: He betrayed Jesus with a ______.

Jewish Trial of Jesus

>>> Read Mark 14:53-65. <<<

Though it was very late at night, Jesus was brought before the
Jewish supreme court and tried. They bribed false witnesses who
told contradictory stories about Him. For a time, it appeared
that the court would be unable to find consistent testimony by
which to convict Jesus. Finally, the high priest asked Him if He
were the Christ. When Jesus said, "Yes," they used this
statement as evidence of blasphemy and convicted Him. Then they
spat on Him, mocked Him and beat Him.

*17* Why was the Jewish court unable to convict Jesus on the
basis of the testimony of the false witnesses? a) their testimony
was inconsistent; b) the witnesses refused to testify; c) they
could not allow false witnesses to testify in their court; d)
Jesus refuted what they said. Answer: ______.

*18* What was finally used to convict Jesus in the Jewish
trial? Answer: He admitted that He was the ______, the Son of the
Blessed One.

Peter Denies Jesus

>>> Read Mark 14:66-72. <<<

Peter had slipped into the courtyard to watch the trial.
Various people began to recognize him. A servant-girl asked him
if she hadn't seen him with Jesus. Peter claimed not to
understand what she was talking about. Then she began to tell
others that he was a disciple and he flatly denied it. Finally,
others noticed his Galilean accent and accused him of following
Jesus. With this, Peter panicked, vehemently denying Jesus, even
asking God to curse him if He knew the man. The cock crew and
Peter remembered Jesus' warning. He came to himself with a
sickening awareness of the horrible deed he had done. He rushed
out and began weeping in despair.

Note -- Failure of the disciples: The
disciples failed Jesus miserably in His hour of greatest need.
They fled. Peter denied Him. Why? They had been such loyal
supporters. Think back upon contributing factors in their failure:
1) They hadn't listened when Jesus had frequently warned them of
His impending suffering. They had been too eager to argue about
who would be the greatest in the kingdom. 2) They were
overconfident. Earlier that evening, Jesus warned them that they
would flee, but they didn't believe it. 3) They didn't watch and
pray in the garden as He instructed. Thus, they were not mentally
prepared to face the challenge. We could fail in the hour of
temptation for these same reasons.

*19* How many times did Peter deny Jesus during the Jewish
trial? Answer (give a number): ______.

*20* How did he react when he realized that he had denied
Jesus? a) killed himself; b) apologized to Jesus; c) gave up
being an apostle; d) fled away and began to cry. Answer: ______.